2014 Political Manifesto Chapter 2 Human Rights

Self-determination is a basic human right, to be respected on the individual level, as well as the collective level.

Each individual has the right to his or her own culture in order to be able to fully develop his personality.

Citizens ought to be able to get all services necessary for their health and well-being in their own language when residing in the region or nation where this language originated.

The EU must protect the privacy of its citizens.

Challenges facing the youth of today mean that youth rights must be protected and developed.

The European Free Alliance Youth hereby wishes to explicitly state its full engagement towards the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the basis for democratic politics. EFAy stresses that this Declaration is to be respected in any situation, by each country, nation, political party or group, by each individual whether protesting of supporting any cause. No distinction whatsoever is to be made based on gender, race, religion, age, sexuality or any other parameter.

Self-determination

EFAy hereby wishes to emphasise the importance of the second article[1] of the Declaration which defines the right to self determination as a human right. This includes the freedom of each individual to his own thought, religion and beliefs, without any exceptions based on ethnicity or race .Self-determination also means the freedom to decide over one’s own body. Therefore, EFAy wants to explicitly express its support for abortion rights for women, as well as equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, neither of whom should be treated differently in any way. EFAy also supports same-sex marriage as a fundamental right, and recognizes the right of same-sex couples to adopt.

As the youth branch of a political party of stateless territories, however, we underline that for EFAy, the right to self-determination includes the right for every territory to define its own sovereignty. For EFAy, this is the core issue that unites all our members. This right is further imposed by article 21 which states that “the will of the people shall be the basis of government” and that “everyone has the right to take part in government, directly or through freely chosen representatives”.

However, we wish to stress that all articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are to be respected by those who fight for self-determination as well as by their opponents. The right to liberty and security of person, the right not to be subjected to cruel treatment or punishment and the right to equal protection of the law, as stated in articles 5 to 11, are to be respected by all parties at all times.

Cultural and Educational Equality

Along with the right to self-determination comes the right to culture and education. Each individual has the right to his or her own culture in order to be able to fully develop his personality. Therefore, each individual should be able to participate in the cultural life of his community as stated in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since language is often an indispensable aspect of this culture, we urge the European Union and its Member States to protect minority languages and respect the right to cultural diversity, in life as well as in education by organizing public education in their citizens the native Language.

Social Equality

“Everyone is to have equal access to public service”. In order to avoid poverty, social protection and government help should also be made available to each and every citizen of each and every region. Therefore, EFAy believes that citizens ought to be able to get all services necessary for their health and well-being in their own language when residing in the region or nation where this language originated.

Privacy

Referring to recent events and decisions in this area, EFAy wishes to emphasise the importance of the right to privacy that still applies and ought to forever apply to each individual. No personal data should be intercepted or used neither by individuals nor by firms nor by any government. We call upon the European Union to continue studying to what extent the privacy of its citizens is still protected and to take action to protect them from breaches of this right of any kind.

Youth rights

As the youth branch of a European political party, EFAy also wishes to stress the importance of youth rights. The situation of youth today in the EU presents us with unprecedented challenges associated with poverty and limited access to resources, education, healthcare and employment, along with social discrimination and the lack of participation in decision-making. These challenges are hindering youth development and the development of the society in a wider sense, while contributing to inequality and social exclusion.

We urge governments to take effective action to further promote and guarantee full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms to all European citizens. We also call upon the European Member States and European Institutions to pay extra attention to Youth Rights in order to secure the positive development of the entire society. EFAy therefore asks to promote inclusive and participatory mechanisms and instruments for the effective protection of Youth Rights as well as Human Rights.

[1] “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty”

About us

EFAy is a youth political organisation made up of members who belong to organisations, movements or political parties that safeguard and promote the cultural, linguistic and national diversity of Europe.